The Return of Joe Bradley
by scottsman
Summary: Anya is getting married when to everyone's shock Joe Shows up and stops the wedding right in the middle of the ceremony. secrets are revealed.


A year after Rome, Princess Ann found herself walking down the Aisle at her wedding. He folks, as she had expected were getting ready to marry her off in a political Marriage with a Duke of, of, well a Duke Raphael of something or other. Anya couldn't remember and didn't really care. All she knew was she was marrying one man when her thoughts were consumed with another. The American reporter Joe Bradley the only man she had ever truly loved.

When she finally reached the altar she could hardly bring herself to look up at her groom. All the way down the aisle she had been entertaining the childish fantasy that at the last minute Joe her true love would come bursting in on a white horse scoop her up and carry her somewhere where they could be together and happy for always.

She shook away the dream. That was fantasy and this was reality she must do what was expected of her. Just then the two hands of the groom took a hold of her veil and began to lift it. She took a deep breath and prepared herself to smile at her groom.

She forced a smile as Raphael lifted the veil that was on her head and prayed that it didn't look too much like clenched teeth. He took her hand as they turned to face the altar. The Bishop, who was performing the ceremony, began his remarks with an oration on the sanctity of marriage.

After several minutes the Bishop finally got around to dearly beloved. A few seconds later and with great solemnity he pronounced,

"If anyone here can show just cause why these two should not be joined in holy matrimony, speak now or forever hold your peace."

THREE DAYS EARLIER…

Joe Bradley walked down the street toward his apartment. Evening was just falling as he made his way along. He had purposely taken the long way back so he could pass the spot where he first met her.

When he reached the spot he looked down almost lovingly at the spot where he first saw and spoke with a girl that thought was drunk at the time. Only after he had taken her back to his apartment had he realized that he had a royal guest.

Back in the shadows around the corner two men were lurking.

"Are you sure that's him?" one was saying to the other.

"Yeah that's him," said the other one, "Now remember the plan! We'll get him as soon as he turns off on to the side street that leads to his apartment."

Joe was walking again the men followed him until he turned off onto the side street. They hurried to round the corner to keep him in sight they discovered much to their chagrin that he'd had apparently disappeared.

"You lost him," snapped the first man, "The queen is going to kill us. First her daughter falls in love with the man and then you have to lose him so we can't complete our assignment."

"He was just going to his apartment," said the other guy, "and we know where that is."

"His apartment is still two blocks away!" hissed the other guy, "How do we know that's where he went?"

"Alright, alright we'll go to his apartment and wait for him there."

"Need a key?" said a voice from back in the shadows

"No I'll pick the lock," the man replied absent mindedly as he started to move forward. Suddenly he stopped again.

"Wait a minute, who said that?"

Suddenly the two guys were grabbed and shoved against the wall. Joe had been watching them the whole time from the shadows. He had been aware that these two had following him since he left the paper. His time in the army air corps and being shot down in France during the war had given him eyes in the back of his head.

"Now," said Joe, "How about you gentlemen tell me what Anne's mother wants with me?"

"We'll tell you nothing," snapped the first man

"We are loyal to our king Philip of Aragon and Queen Margaret you'll get nothing out of us." Said the second man.

Joe, who had given a start at the mention of King Philip, shoved them both down on a bench and reached in his pocket. The two men gasped at the sight of the object glinting in his hand. Joe smirked as he saw the Color drain from their faces.

"Alright," he said, "Start talking."

PRESENT DAY…

"If anyone can show any reason why these too should not be married let them speak now or forever hold their peace." There was a pause and then the Bishop made to continue.

"Not so fast," rang out a familiar voice that Ann knew all too well. A voice that she heard in her dreams every night. Anne turned toward the Aisle. In the dead silence, that had followed the voice, there was the sound of footsteps ringing on the stone floor.

Anne could barely believe her eyes. She was afraid to let herself believe that this was actually happening. But there before her walking down the Aisle toward them was Joe Bradley. It took all the strength Anne had to keep from running to him and throwing herself into his arms.

Joe had one hand in his pocket and a confident smirk on his face as he came. Queen Margaret was the first to recover her voice.

"Sir, how dare you interrupt this wedding!" she snapped, "Guards, Arrest this man!"

The guards rushed forward to grab Joe but were stopped dead in their tracks when he Pulled his hand out of his pocket revealing the same object that he had shown the two men in Rome. Joe calmly turned to the king.

"Call them off, Philip." He said.

King Philip's eyes widened when he saw the object on Joe's finger and a look of recognition flashed on to his face.

"Nobody touch this man!" Ordered Philip in a voice that left no doubt that he was serious.

As the guards returned to their original places Anne looked more closely at the object on Joe's finger it was a signet ring of her country but it was also a very special ring. The royal seal of this ring was carved into a large red Ruby that was mounted in a gold band.

Her people called it the Ring of the sacred oath. It was given to a person by the king himself for heroic service to the king himself. Not even the King himself would dare harm the man that he had given the ring too. But how did Joe get it she wondered.

Anne was brought out of her thoughts by the sound of her father speaking.

"It's been a long time, Lt. Bradley," King Philip was saying,

"11 years," said Joe Nodding in agreement, "I had no idea that you were Anne's father until those goons your wife sent to humiliate me in Rome spilled the beans."

"My wife did what?!" snapped Philip glaring at his wife.

"What is going on here?" said Margaret, "How did this man end up with the Signet of the Sacred Oath.

Joe spoke.

"Eleven years ago in the middle of World War 2 if you recall, your majesty, you and Philip were put on separate planes and evacuated ahead of the Nazi's Philips plane was shot down over France. A young 20 year old Lieutenant who himself had been shot down found him and escorted half way across the country to the pick-up point where a sub could take them both to safety in England. While the Lieutenant was resting in the hospital recovering from two bullet wounds he had received protecting the young king Philip, king Philip visited him and gave him a gift. That Lieutenant was me and that gift was this ring and the sacred oath. I am here to claim my reward for saving king Philips life."

"What reward?" asked the Queen, still digesting what she had just learned.

"I claim the hand of Princess Ann as my reward," said Joe with a smile.

"You can't ask that!" snapped the Queen

"Oh yes I can," said Joe, "Check the Law of the Sacred oath, I can ask for anything that I want and you have to give it to me. To violate the oath is to forfeit the crown and I don't think you want to do that."

There was another stunned silence. Anne's lungs were full of ice, the wedding guests were murmuring and the Bishop was looking confused. Finally the king held up his hand for silence.

"This man is right, I swore the sacred oath to him all those years ago I gave him the right to come here and claim any reward he wanted. If he wishes the hand of my daughter then he shall have it."

At these words Anne lit up her poise and self restraint vanished. In unbridled Joy she dropped her bouquet and ran up the Aisle to Joe and threw her arms around him.

The queen started to object but Philip held up his hand

"Not one word." He warned

Joe slipped a hand under Anne's legs and carried her back down the Aisle to where the bishop stood.

"Marry them," said the king quietly

The rest of the ceremony passed in a haze of joy for Anne. By the time the reception rolled around the queen had all but changed her mind about Joe. Seeing her daughter's joy had melted her anger away.

The crowed of people outside the palace were more than a little surprised when it wasn't Duke Raphael that stepped out on the balcony with Princess Anne.

"Ladies and Gentlemen," said the Announcer, "I present to you Princess Anne and Prince Joseph."

Anne and Joe waved to the Crowd then turned to embrace each other.

"I can't believe this," said Anne as they stepped back inside, "Tell me it's not a dream."

"It's real," smiled Joe, suddenly he looked as though he remembered something. "I just remembered I brought a wedding present. He grabbed her hand and led her down the stairs and into the garage.

He led her over to the area just inside the door. There was an object covered in a tarp.

"Irving chipped him to help my buy this." Said Joe reaching for the tarp, when he pulled it off Anne's face lit up again.

"Joe," she squealed you bought me a Vespa!"

Joe Grinned,

Queen Margaret was standing in the main reception hall buy the window. Suddenly something outside the window caught her eye she looked out the window just in time to see Joe and Anne flying up the service road astride the Vespa

"Philip!" she hissed

The king stepped up and looked out the window.

"Here we go again," said the Queen

"My Dear," said The King Smiling, "Leave them Alone."

The End…?


End file.
